News : UK production up in September

Strong September sets scene for 2012

MG6 assembly in Longbridge
MG6 assembly in Longbridge
  • Car manufacturing rose by 7.5% in September and is up 4.8% over the first nine months of 2011.
  • CV output rose by 6.2% in September, but was down 2.7% over the January-September period.
  • UK engine production rose by 6.6% in September and is up 5.0% over the year-to-date.

‘September saw a 7.4% increase in UK vehicle manufacturing, confirming a positive trend we expect to continue into 2012,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive. ‘Major new investment by vehicle manufacturers is opening up opportunities for UK-based suppliers, helping to drive the economic recovery and private sector investment.”

Click through to download the full UK automotive manufacturing news release.

Keith Adams

22 Comments

  1. interesting picture indeed….

    The cars are not in the “chocks” on the moving line, one of them does not have it’s front wheels pointing ahead and in the distance, they are not aligned with each other.

    Is this a picture of a production line making them or a picture of a stationary line with the cars (assembled elsewhere) just driven onto it and parked for the picture?

  2. Like Leslie, I’d love to know the extent of manufacture at Longbridge these days.

    How much of the car is made in the UK by UK suppliers? Is it a CKD operation, or more involved?

    That the cars are chocked but with nothing going on around them does seem rather staged. The lights are on…but is anyone home?

  3. I wonder if the MG6 finished in red with the front wheels pointing at a jaunty angle rejoined the assembly line through one Russ Swift being handy with the handbrake and right pedal?

    Perhaps the MG6 is going to follow in the tyre tracks of the Montego and feature in a new television campaign where it is shown being driven round a crowded car park, with Russ Swift doing his magic once again (wishful thinking on my part).

  4. IT WONT BE MG 6 SALES the manufacturing team are out at shopping centres trying to sell them, shame on saic.no sales no dealers poor advertising no hope if they continue in this vein

  5. it looks like theres a man in a jumper standing down the line there. cant see any people where white coats of high vis clothing. I agree with above, the outlook from Jaguar is more promising and the Jag and LR cars look better too. in the last I think I said I like the MG3 looks. i think ove gone off that too the MG looks dont do it for me.. alex

  6. I looked at the video : not many white coats or hi vis clothing in that either 🙂 explains how the cars are made up too. cheers Mike c for the Video. alex

  7. I was in Longbridge in the rooms were the M6 will be assembled and I was very frustrated.
    There were cars sent from China to GB already painted and put together without a front axle and wheels , with a completely fitted interior.
    As I remember it needed 175 production steps to build a Rover 75 in Longbridge.
    As I have seen it in Longbridge by the MG where they would need about 160 production steps, they will start with step 147.

  8. Living up ‘north’ of the border in Scotland I have’nt seen a new MG6 on the road as yet. Plenty on the showroon forcourt…anyone buying these or are the dealers snapping them for themselves…??

  9. Pretty strong achievement in a falling market, here and in Europe. Implies growing exports and falling production in competitor countries.

  10. so where are all these MG6’s then, do they fall of the production line and hide in hanger somewhere cos I ain’t seen any on the road yet??

  11. Well, there’s at least one Grey MG6 in Helensburgh. As the nearest dealer is in Stirling and it’s been here a few months I’m assuming this one is privately owned. Also saw a red one on my way to Glasgow a couple of weeks back.

  12. Good to see UK figures up. Evoque is doing great things for JLR as is the new 2.2 XF. Nissan doing will with the cashcow out of Sunderland too.
    MG6 sales are apparently 199 to the end of September. They will stay low until the diesel comes on stream

  13. unfortunately people sales will remain low diesel or no diesel, till SAIC start becoming more professional with MG . how many ford /vauxhall workers do you see in shopping centres selling cars The cars we all no from china are 80% built the build at longbridge is minimal, they need to up the game immediatley on the marketing /sales/dealer side and employ the right people for the right job.its been said they pumped millions into longbridge well on the design block yes,manufacturing no .cab 1 where mg 6 is built is today as it was in april 2005 less the tracks and equipment shipped to china,how do i no i worked there over the last few mths as a contractor and its sad to see everybody who posts on here says the same thing in the uk the mg6 is like a ghost seen rarely, whens the last time did we see quality videos on mg ranges ,marketing /sales /newdealership. , the mg site is rarely updated,im sorry SAIC BE MORE COMMITEED or long term shut the gates behind you when youve finished.

  14. “I looked at the video : not many white coats…”

    Perhaps they were out on strike for brown ones – just for old times’ sake, eh?

  15. All the people on here moaning about the lack of marketing harming sales because nobody knows about the car.You are on here discussing the car, you know about the car, why are you not out buying the car ?

  16. Roverman; because it looks c-ap and people who come on here want to love these new cars desperately. but we are not mugs. They are fine for China but not Europe. Anybody who thinks otherwise, anybody who thinks these cars will be a success in the west is utterly deluded.Both the 6 and the 3 make the ZT and ZR look positively advanced. Until the Chinese install a professional design team capable of designing something that competes with the best ‘Project MG’ will continue to be dead in the water. People are not stupid anymore; they will not blindly buy an Austin Maestro and to me this is about as good as that 2011 style.

  17. I have visited a lot of car production lines and I have never seen cars on the production line with dirt on the tread of their tyres before! What with the lack of assembly workers, the cars out of line and the steering not straight ahead on one car, this is a very clumsy staged shot of previously built cars!As Richard has said, no one will want to buy third rate, essentially Chinese made, cars when the choice of new vehicles in the UK (many of which are manufactured or extensively assembled here) is so very good.

  18. I’ve just had another look – the chocks for the wheels are set to the wrong wheelbase for the MG6! There is no way that the production line is set up to handle these cars. It gets tackier and tackier!!

  19. And another thing! The floors on assembly lines are meticulously clean and are not covered in Longbridge demolition grit from the car park outside! Perhaps someone should have hosed the tyres down before driving them all on to the line?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.